It appears this is the year Customs adds sharper teeth to the ISF filing requirements.

Up until recently, late filings generally resulted in guaranteed cargo exams, significant costs and time wasted. Now, Customs has begun issuing importers a penalty of $5,000 USD to importers for non-compliant ISF filings.

Importers, especially those who have had ISF issues in the past should double their efforts to ensure everyone in their supply chain understands the importance of complying with this requirement.

An ISF should be filed 48 hours prior to the cargo being loaded on a vessel destined to the United States. Mitigation of these penalties can be applied for, and Customs gives more weight to requests from companies with clean ISF filing histories as well as CTPAT members.

Speaking of CTPAT, Customs has made the first significant update to this program, adding more requirements and benefits for members. New workbooks have been published and all CTPAT member companies need to review these materials to be ready by January 1.

More announcements will be forthcoming and major changes such as the Trade Compliance program and type 86 entries are in the works.